Nintendo Addresses 3DS XL Pixel Size Concerns

In the latest edition of Iwata Asks, the Nintendo president speaks out to allay fears that the 3DS XL's increased screen size and unchanged resolution might look "awkward."

"Many customers appear to be worried, asking questions like 'If the screen is bigger, won't the dots stand out?' and 'Will the screen get blurry?'," Iwata said, before grabbing Mechanical Design Engineer Takashi Murakami for a more detailed summation.

"Apparently I have incredible eyesight, so if you look at it with eyes like mine, you can tell. (laughs)," the engineer explained. "But for normal play, I don't think anyone will be able to sense anything awkward. To get a bit technical, it is thought that you need the screen to have at least 100 ppi2 to view good 3D images, and I've set it as a goal. What's more, the Nintendo 3DS XL's attraction as a product is that it's bigger than the Nintendo 3DS and shows 3D graphics with impact—and when it comes to that, it's just fine."

"The dots are indeed smaller than on the Nintendo DSi XL system," Iwata concluded. "When I played [the 3DS XL], I wasn't bothered by anything at all."

The weighty new handheld will release this Saturday (28th July), packing new anti-glare screens, custom-designed speakers and an improved battery life. On a different note, it's actually nice to see Nintendo actively trying to engage the consumer base rather than ignoring them outright - something they've been much better at over the last 12 months.